caffeine tablets in place of tea or coffee?

[Rafi Harzahav]

OK,

I need my morning caffeine fix. Alas, tea/coffee require fuel for boiling water. Does anyone use no-doz or the equivalent instead of tea/coffee to save on weight?

rhz

[David Drake]

For me, the ritual of a hot drink in the morning is far more satisfying than the amount of caffeine it provides, or the ounce or so of fuel I might save by going without. Doesn't have to be before breaking camp though–a cup of coffee at the first rest spot for the day works well too.

Frankly, popping pills instead just seems a little too…clinical.

[Thomas Burns]

Almost as effective and nearly as lightweight are those single-serving instant-coffee packets like Starbucks Via. Most coffee manufacturers make them now. Drop one into a gatorade bottle half filled with unheated water and shake vigorously and you have the moral equivalent to a cup of coffee with no heating required I add powdered milk sometimes as a sweetener.

Along the trail, I also eat the coffee powder right out of the packet with a swig of water. It's just like taking the caffeine tabs but with the coffee flavor condensed into a quick burst of flavorosity. It's good for a quick caffeine fix, anyway, even if seems a bit hardcore to your hiking companions. ;-)

Stargazer

[Ken Thompson]

You are out there to enjoy yourself. Have a cup. Or two…

[adam spates]

Isn't caffeine a nono because of dehydration?

[Thomas Burns]

A myth, as far as my experience is concerned, but as always, YMMV.

Stargazer

[Joe Clement]

I have done it, and it will make that headache go away, if you're a bit addicted like me.

Worth the fuel for something hot to me though.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

If you can handle the gut rot those pills produce in some peoples stomachs…..

I much prefer a cup of tea, a latte or similar. A hot drink in the morning is simply civilized ;-)

[Paul Magnanti]

Hi. My name is Paul. I, too, am a coffee addict.

On long trips solo, I do cold food. So what to do?

As others mentioned, I take Starbucks Via. Makes cold instant coffee for the caffeine addict! :)

Costco sells Via in large quantities to my habit won't break the bank as badly. ;)

[Rick Dreher]

I won't claim Via has changed my life, but it's made it a lot simpler and more enjoyable. Viva Via! (Gawd, I sound like a shill.)

Anyhoo, if cold coffee isn't your thing I'll recommend munching some chocolate coated roast beans. It'll give you something to pick out of your teeth on the trail and if you eat enough, believe me, you'll get your caffeine fix.

Cheers,

Rick

p.s. My yardstick for a dirtbag breakfast is a crushed nodoz sprinkled on a poptart.

[Paul Magnanti]

>>p.s. My yardstick for a dirtbag breakfast is a crushed nodoz sprinkled on a poptart.

That sounds so wrong….yet so right!!! :D

[Thomas Burns]

I eat the uncoated coffee beans. Put six or seven of them in your mouth, crunch them down a bit, put them between your upper teeth and gums, and them slowly chew a few fragments over the course of twenty minutes or so. Oh, yeah . . . .

Stargazer

[Bob Gross]

On Wednesday morning, I was camped not far from the JMT. My breakfast consisted of one packet of GU (with caffeine), one 1.5 oz packet of peanut butter, one stick of string cheese, and one strip of fruit leather. A few minutes later, I was speeding up the trail.

–B.G.–

[Rodney OndaRock]

how about those gourmet chocolate covered expresso coffee beans.

I hate drinking coffee, but the choc coffee beans give me the caffeine I need.

advantage:
1. lightweight, no need to carry a jetboil to make coffee
2. time saving due to forgoing setting up a kitchen

downside:
1. you are tempted to eat choc coffee beans before bed time and are up all night.
2. you dont pack them in the right place and they melt.
3. choc covered coffee beans are not a hot food, if you need one.

I also keep an emergency can of red bull on multi-day trips. In case I hit the proverbial WALL, and need the placebo to trick myself to keep on going. Although in the recent past years, my estimates, pace timing and nutrition planning has gotten better, so I don't end up in a "wall" situation, but it still works to get my nephew and other hiking buddies on the move.

I brew green tea at home before a trip, and fill my camelbak. Green tea has less caffeine, so FOR ME, its a slow constant release of caffeine, instead of the spike and crash of alternatives.

Although in my teens and 20s I used to put away 3 liters of Coca Cola per day, just to barely function in school. Those were the bad 'good' ole days when I didn't understand how my body metabolized sugar.

[Rafi Harzahav]

I'll try the Starbucks Via things. I didn't know that they work with cold water.

thanks again.

rhz

[Tim Zen]

No-doz. Reminds me of the worst part of college. Coffee is a necessity.
Make it 11 on the 10 things to bring on a hike.

[Anonymous]

"I need my morning caffeine fix. Alas, tea/coffee require fuel for boiling water. Does anyone use no-doz or the equivalent instead of tea/coffee to save on weight?"

I've used No Doze on a few longer trips to save the weight, but I've got to tell you it sure leaves a hole in my morning routine. On shorter trips I will put up with the extra weight to enjoy a hot aromatic cup and, if going solo on longer trips, I now take Starbucks Via and pour it into a 12 oz widemouth Nalgene bottle of water I take to bed with me. By morning the water is body temp and makes a drinkable, if not exactly gourmet, cup of coffee. I justify the 2.6 oz weight of the bottle by telling myself it is multi purpose gear, since I use it for my morning granola and during the day for Perpetuem.

[Justin Reigle]

Via is decent, albeit a bit pricey (I can't use just one). Not sure if others have tried this, but I found Medaglia D'Oro Instant Espresso at my local grocery store. It was about 3 bucks for a quantity that will last many trips and the flavor is decent and strong! Works hot or cold.

I've tried the tablets before and they do not sit very well in my stomach. It's hard for me to justify NOT having something warm in the morning.

Another option I've seen recently… Clif bars that are spiked with caffeine. Breakfast and a jolt.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Coffee is a tough one….I'm a fairly heavy addict in my regular life, mostly because I'm a computer addict and I can't sit at the computer without a coffee. If I go backpacking without caffeine I do get headaches which is not fun…so it's a situation that needs to be managed.

One option is to ween off coffee a bit before a hiking trip. This isn't really feasible for short trips, but if you got a 7-10 day epic coming up then easing back on the java for those final 2-3 days can make a big difference in your caffeine addiction. I find for me that 48-72 hours of cold turkey is all it takes to get past the headaches, so I can do this preemptively before a long hike if I need to. I usually don't.

A better solution I use is to start mixing in caffeine free tea instead of abstaining. A few days before a hike switch to 1/3 tea and 2/3 coffee, then for the final two days do 2/3 tea and 1/3 coffee and then when the hike comes you can pretty much go coffee-less without the withdrawl symptoms…..although 1 cup per day sure is nice. Tea kinda sucks, but it's better than nothing and some teas are kinda good.

When i hike, I normally use Via. You just need to be careful not to add more than 1 cup (250ml) of water or it's too weak and you'll need 2 packets. Ideally you want about 2/3 cup water for a decently stiff brew. I normally have one of these with breakfast. The only thing I don't like is the price…..it really adds up if you hike a lot. Via is good for instant coffee, but not as good as regular coffee which is nice because I don't wind up tempted to have 3-4 cups per day.

[Makais Aloha]

I'm new to the forum…it's funny I was going to start a coffee thread but there is already one!

Last time I went backpacking I went with no coffee and I was not a happy camper. I drink coffee daily, so my body did not like the abrupt change to no coffee. I'm heading out tomorrow, and this time I'll be bringing Starbucks VIA with me. I love some milk with my coffee, so I usually bring a tiny bit of powdered milk too. The powdered milk also goes nicely with my morning granola.

[Thomas Burns]

Most of the main coffee suppliers sell their instant coffee in similar Via-style packets, and they are a lot cheaper (and crunchier). You'll find them in the coffee section of your local grocery store. Foljers (sp?) has a similar rich, full-bodied flavor to Via — and is much tastier when eaten right from the package.

Addictedly yours,

Stargazer

[Makais Aloha]

I agree there are plenty of cheaper alternatives to Starbucks Via.

You can also simply grind your own coffee extremely fine and get a similar result.

I just like the way Starbucks Via is packaged. Those small little individual packages are very convenient. I used to bring Nescafe in a plastic baggy, and it would get messy.

[Thomas Burns]

>I just like the way Starbucks Via is packaged. Those small little individual packages are very convenient. I used to bring Nescafe in a plastic baggy, and it would get messy.

That's what I'm talking about. At least three coffee suppliers are now packaging their instant coffee in Via-style, individual packages, and they typically cost about 1/2 of what the Via costs.

[Eddy Walker]

>That's what I'm talking about. At least three coffee suppliers are now packaging their instant coffee in Via-style, individual packages, and they typically cost about 1/2 of what the Via costs<

Tasters Choice has been packaging them that way for 6-7 yrs. I use to use their instant coffee before Starbucks came out with theirs. I just think the Via taste better and it is worth the additional cost

[Makais Aloha]

Has anyone tried just microgrinding regular coffee beans in an attempt to make their own "via" packets? I'm tempted to try this.

[Author]

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